Everyone Better Be Careful Of Sand Flies!

Regarding my previous post, Tekkaus suggested that I might get bitten by sand flies. I supposed if it was, then I probably got it from Lang Tengah. But then, I don't exactly know what sand flies are and I doubt that it is the cause for all the redness, itchiness and the bumpiness on my skin since I only got it FEW DAYS after I got back from there. So I googled to find out.

At first I was like "Ek, couldn't be lar!". Then I start to worry as I continue reading.


It says that a sand fly is only about less than 3mm long and with shrimp-like appearance that ranges in colour from pale to brownish. I don't remember seeing anything that looked like that in Lang Tengah. There were only normal home flies and freaking loads of red ants k!

Apparently, sand flies bite is most likely to occur at dawn or in the evening and night time hours on the beach or other sandy areas that are near water. Oh God, Spicy-B and I played at the beach in most of the evenings there!! And there was once that we lepak-ed there at night. Higher chances of it being caused by sand flies :(

Like a mosquito, sand flies bite to suck blood. It is the female sand fly that bites. It does this in order to get the protein from the blood that is necessary for its egg laying. The sand flea bite involves the injection of saliva to thin the blood, making it easier for the flea to take blood from its victim. This same saliva triggers the body’s immune system to react. Fuck lor if really got bitten by sand flies. Means they could transmit some diseases to me lehhhhh.... Scared. Scared.

The bite causes a large welt or rashes on the skin that can persist for several days. A fever may also occur. I was relieved to read that because I did not get any immediate fever or whatsoever.

The welts or hives produced from bites are very itchy. Scratching the bitten areas should be avoided in order to prevent the development of an infection. Scratching will also prolong the symptoms of swelling, itch, and skin redness. Why must they shock me with this?!! Swelling? YES! Itch? YES! Redness? YES! Three strikes, man! And I've been scratching non-stop! Why nobody tell me that it could get that bad? :(

Sand flies bites are also known to carry various diseases such as Carrions disease, the Pappataci fever virus, and various parasites that can cause conditions such as Leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is dangerous. Because sand flies feed on human blood, there is the possibility of transferring protozoan parasites that are responsible for this disease to humans. As of 2006, there is no vaccine to combat Leishmaniasis caused by a sand flea bite. Hey, what about now?? Is it curable? Do they have any medicine since it's already 2008 now??!! I don't want any scars. Sob*

Other problems, which may become present anywhere from a few months to years after the bites occurred include fever, damage to the spleen and liver, and anaemia. OK. This is getting worse. I don't only need to worry about now, but also the future. If I really got bitten by those suckers, they should better send me to heaven straight. It's suffering enough to face the scars for the rest of my life anyways.


I thought since it's not as itchy as before and I supposed it is healing already, I could save my allowance rather than to go see doctor. But the possibilities really scare the hell out of me. I shall ask someone to chauffeur me to the clinic next week. Sigh*